By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
Hibriten High produced the most spring sports individual award winners in the Northwestern 3A-4A with six while Alexander Central and South Caldwell each had five major winners.
In voting by conference head coaches in each of the sports:
- Hibriten had four athletes win top individual awards in girls’ soccer (2), a girls’ track Athlete of the Year and Coaches of the Year in boys’ tennis, softball and girls’ soccer.
- Alexander Central swept the baseball awards – top pitcher, Player of the Year and Coach of the Year – plus softball’s Player of the Year and coach of the year in boys’ golf.
- South Caldwell had the girls’ track Field Event Athlete of the Year, boys’ tennis player of the year, top pitcher and coach of the year in softball and the boys’ track Athlete of the Year.
Baseball
HARDEE
Alexander Central senior Cade Miller was named Pitcher of the Year after going 6-1 with an ERA of 2.14. He threw 39 1/3 innings walking 31 and striking out 63.
The Cougars’ Mason Chapman, a senior, was selected Player of the Year. He hit .380 with five doubles, one home run and 13 RBIs and scored 33 runs.
Alexander Central’s Pete Hardee was voted Coach of the Year, guiding the Cougars (21-5) to a league and conference tournament title.
Hardee is 105-55 after seven seasons at Alexander Central and is 469-348 as a prep baseball head coach.
ALL-CONFERENCE: NWC Baseball 2022 All Conference
Softball
After Alexander Central and South Caldwell shared the conference title, coaches voted stars from both teams as award winners.
Junior Kadie Becker of South Caldwell was named Pitcher of the Year while Alexander Central senior Faith Carrigan was chosen Player of the Year.
The coaching award was shared by Casey Justice of South Caldwell and Brittany Morton of third-place Hibriten.
ALL-CONFERENCE: NWC Softball 2022 All Conference
Girls soccer
BRIDGES
Hibriten produced a co-player of the year, the offensive player of the year and the coach of the year.
The Panthers were 9-1-0, sharing the league title with Watauga, and Hibriten’s Shea Bridges was named Coach of the Year.
Junior Rylee Conard of Hibriten shared Player of the Year with senior Skyler Georges of Freedom. Conard had 100 saves and 12 shutouts in goal for the Panthers, and Georges had 26 goals and 12 assists for the Patriots.
The Offensive Player of the Year is junior Abby Kidder of Hibriten after she had 16 goals and nine assists, improving her career totals to 40 goals and 21 assists after 35 matches.
Watauga sophomore Lucy Willis was named Defensive Player of the Year.
ALL-CONFERENCE: NWC 2022 Women’s Soccer All Conference
Girls’ track
Watauga senior Sidra Miller was voted Runner of the Year and her coach, Randy McDonough, won Coach of the Year after the Pioneers won a league title.
Senior Heather Deal of South Caldwell was selected Field Athlete of the Year and the Athlete of the Year went to Hibriten sophomore Jada Brown.
ALL-CONFERENCE: NWC 2022 Women’s Track All Conference
Boys’ track
Runner of the Year was Ethan Cannon of conference champion Watauga and McDonough also on Coach of Year.
South Caldwell senior Jaxen Wilkerson was tabbed as Athlete of the Year and Field Athlete of the Year went to Freedom senior Drew Costello.
ALL-CONFERENCE: NWC 2022 Men’s Track All Conference
Boys’ tennis
Senior Asher Means, 7-3 at No. 1 singles for South Caldwell, was named Player of the Year and Hibriten’s Lynn Bruton, who guided the Panthers to second place, was named Coach of the Year.
Watauga went 10-0 in the league and Hibriten was 8-2.
ALL-CONFERENCE: NWC Men’s Ten 2022 All Conference
WILSON
Boys’ golf
Freedom sophomore Alex Bock, who was ninth at the state 3A tournament at 78-75—153, was named Player of the Year.
The Patriots won a league title, finishing ahead of Alexander Central and South Caldwell.
Coach of the Year went to Matt Wilson of Alexander Central, who announced earlier this month he is leaving the Cougars to become head football coach at West Iredell.
ALL-CONFERENCE: NWC Men’s Golf 2022 All Conference
